Man who caused Mission Valley overpass collision receives three years in prison

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - An unlicensed driver who fled the scene after causing a collision that sent a truck off a freeway overpass and into a Mission Valley restaurant below, seriously injuring the other driver, was sentenced Monday to three years in state prison.

Jose Carlos Uribe, 21, pleaded guilty in January to felony hit-and-run and a misdemeanor count of driving without a license.

Uribe was on probation for false imprisonment and destroying evidence at the time of the accident last Sept. 21 that left Kenneth Fruedenvoll with three crushed vertebrae and a fractured vertebrae.

Motorists saw Uribe's car swerving before he hit the right rear of Fruedenvoll's Ford F250 truck, authorities said. The accident happened about 3 p.m. as the vehicles were transitioning from westbound Interstate 8 to northbound Interstate 805.

Deputy District Attorney Jalyn Wang said Fruedenvoll -- who was in the Navy -- will never be 100 percent and just recently started walking again with a cane.

"He (Fruedenvoll) told me that he felt that his life was stolen," the prosecutor said outside court.

Uribe's attorney said his client has an intellectual disability and suffers from anxiety.

The defendant begged Judge Polly Shamoon for leniency, saying "I know I did wrong" and apologizing for making the decision to flee the scene.

Wang said Uribe was texting and driving erratically before causing Fruedenvoll's truck to plummet 40 to 50 feet before striking Dave & Buster's restaurant. The victim's truck landed upright in a parking lot, and no one on the ground was injured.

"He (Uribe) never should have been driving in the first place," Wang told the judge. "He caused this accident. He left that victim for dead."

Wang said Uribe fled from two witnesses who tried to follow him after the crash, then parked in an underground lot, changed a tire, and tried to wipe transfer paint off his vehicle.

A passenger in Uribe's SUV came forward the next day, and the defendant was later arrested.

The prosecutor called Uribe's actions "shocking."

In denying probation, Shamoon told the defendant that he had a history of getting rid of evidence. She noted the case for which Uribe was on probation involved him and four others having sex with a woman, then burning the victim's underwear.

"You're about getting rid of the evidence," Shamoon told the defendant.

A five year old girl's dream came true today with the help of the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Leona, who lives in San Marcos and is battling cancer, wished to have the ultimate pirate ship playhouse in her backyard.

A five year old girl's dream came true today with the help of the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Leona, who lives in San Marcos and is battling cancer, wished to have the ultimate pirate ship playhouse in her backyard.

Few of us really know how our coworkers spend their time when they are off the clock. In Thursday's Zevely Zone, Jeff gets to know Ryan Brothers - a writer here at KFMB Stations and News 8 - who put his own signature on Mission Trails Regional Park.

Few of us really know how our coworkers spend their time when they are off the clock. In Thursday's Zevely Zone, Jeff gets to know Ryan Brothers - a writer here at KFMB Stations and News 8 - who put his own signature on Mission Trails Regional Park.

At least one person was killed Saturday morning in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 5 in San Diego.

At least one person was killed Saturday morning in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 5 in San Diego. The crash was reported at 3:51 a.m. on northbound I-5 north of Carmel Mountain Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A local company is on the cutting edge of ocean exploration using unmanned vehicles powered by wind and sun and the future looks bright for these ocean drones, which currently are being tested off the coast of San Diego.

A local company is on the cutting edge of ocean exploration using unmanned vehicles powered by wind and sun and the future looks bright for these ocean drones, which currently are being tested off the coast of San Diego.